Weighing 8,225 carats, the "Marbella" is the world's largest faceted blue topaz and the most extraordinary example of December's official birthstone.

The grapefruit-sized specimen was purchased at the Tucson Gem Shows by the Spanish government in 2000 and added to its Programa Royal Collections museum, home to one of the world’s finest selections of precious stones.

The Marbella was originally called "Topaz Azul" (Blue Topaz, in Spanish), but was renamed "Marbella" in 2010 upon the special request of Marbella's Mayoress and local dignitaries, who believed the gem could help raise the international profile of the Costa del Sol town, boost the economy and encourage cultural development.

The gem's intense blue color happens to match the hue of the Mediterranean Sea near Marbella, which is on Spain's southern coast near the Gibraltar Strait.

The gem is famous not only for its size, but also for its expertly crafted oval cut, its magnificent color and its perfect transparency. The dimensions of the 3.62-pound gem are 5.11 by 3.93 x 2.75 inches.

The Marbella has impressive company at the Art Natura Malaga, Costa del Sol's leading venue for cultural and leisure pursuits. Among its exhibit-mates are the 25,250-carat "Lua de Marabá" (Moon of Marabá) topaz, the 456-carat "Corazón Verde" (Green Heart ) emerald, the 243-carat "Star" sapphire, the 4,185-carat "Star of Jaipur" ruby and the 8,175-carat "Giant" garnet.

Blue topaz is one of three official birthstones for December. The others are turquoise and tanzanite.

Talk about giving a personal gift. A group of scientists from Switzerland has developed a line of jewelry embedded with fossilized DNA, the molecule that contains an individual's unique genetic code. Protected by a diamond, the preserved DNA will last for 1,000 years and could be "de-fossilized" and analyzed generations from now by curious descendants.

The idea is the brainchild of Swiss chemist Dr. Robert Grass, who was terribly disappointed when he attempted to search the internet for a unique "push present" for his wife. The products available were globally accessible, exchangeable and anything but unique.

So the scientist got to work on a product line that would tap into his cutting-edge research into DNA preservation. Specifically, Grass and his team had developed new technologies for making DNA storable for millennia, similar to the way the DNA of living creatures is sometimes preserved in ancient amber or bone samples.

DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid, and is the self-replicating material present in nearly all living organisms as the main constituent of chromosomes. It is also the carrier of genetic information.

Grass called his DNA jewelry line "Identity Inside" and this is how it works:
• Customers provide a mouth swab sample using a kit provided by the company;
• Grass' team uses a patented process to purify and fossilize the DNA into a pellet of glass-like material;
• The pellet containing the DNA is placed in a shallow indentation on the inside of the ring band. It is then sealed into place by a 2-point round diamond that is set just above the pellet but flush to the band's inside surface.

Under normal conditions, Grass estimates that the DNA material will maintain its integrity for at least 1,000 years.

The Identity Inside line, by Turbo Beads, currently includes two ring styles, a pendant and a watch. The basic ring in brushed sterling silver features the DNA sample and 2-point diamond on the inside of the band. An upgraded version adds a 2-point diamond to the outside of the band. The pendant boasts similar components set in 18-karat rose gold on a black silicon cord. A Swiss-made Langenthal watch features the DNA pellet and protective diamond set in the crown. Retail prices range from approximately $300 to $1,000.

Dr. Grass and his colleagues recently launched a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign to help move the project forward. To date, the group has raised about $9,000 with a target of $20,000. There are still 18 days remaining in the campaign.

If fully funded, Dr. Grass and his team expect to deliver the first Identity Inside jewelry by Valentine's Day 2016. See the company's Kickstarter video here...

The Crimson Flame, a 15-carat pigeon's blood Burmese ruby, set a new record on Tuesday when it sold for $18 million at Christie's Magnificent Jewels sale in Hong Kong. The gem established a new per-carat price record for a ruby at $1.2 million.

Proclaiming 2015 as the "Year of the Ruby at Christie's Hong Kong," Vickie Sek, the deputy chairman and director of Christie’s Asia jewelry department, was proud to put another record breaker in the books. Back in June, a 120-carat ruby-and-diamond necklace by Etcetera sold for $13 million, setting a world auction record for a ruby necklace.

The highly touted Crimson Flame's hammer price of $18 million surpassed Christie's pre-sale high estimate by $2.5 million. Sek had noted in November that the stone was "undoubtedly the most important pigeon’s-blood ruby to come to auction in Asia.”

The cushion-shaped ruby is mounted in a white gold ring that features a dramatic surround of smaller cushion-shaped white diamonds. A report by the Swiss Gemmological Institute affirmed that the gem is of Burmese origin and exhibits a vivid, saturated crimson color. The report stated that a natural ruby of this size and quality is very rare and should be considered an “exceptional treasure.”

Other high-profile ruby jewelry performed to expectations on Tuesday...

“Mogok’s Fiery Red” suite of pigeon's blood ruby jewelry by Fai Dee was split into individual lots and sold separately.

The first item was a ruby-and-diamond necklace featuring 32 cushion-shaped rubies — ranging from 1.04 to 5.05 carats — alternating with cushion-shaped diamonds. The piece came into the auction carrying an estimated selling price of $6.2 million to $8.5 million. The hammer price was $7.2 million.

The second half of the suite was a pair of ruby-and-diamond ear pendants. Each earring featured two cushion-shaped rubies spaced by a cushion-shaped diamond. The larger rubies weighed a bit over 5 carats, while the smaller ruby of each ear pendant weighed about 2.5 carats. The diamonds in the middle weighed about 1.5 carats. This lot carried a pre-sale estimate of $2.9 million to $4.1 million and eventually sold for $3.1 million.

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you classic tunes with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, Hank Williams Jr. tells the story of his 700-mile Southwestern odyssey in a 1975 song called "Clovis New Mexico."

Williams recounts how he and his bronc-riding pal, Billy, head out on a very-low-budget adventure that takes them from Bossier City, La., to Abilene, Tex., and finally to Clovis, N.M., where Williams is smitten by a black-haired beauty with green eyes — who just happens to be the local purveyor of silver and turquoise jewelry.

Williams' trek in an old pickup truck was not scheduled to end up in Clovis, but he couldn't help falling in love with a gal he calls "Baby." He describes her as a "born thriller," who had a talent for writing lines to songs he couldn't complete.

(We'd like to remind you that turquoise is one of the official December birthstones, sharing the spotlight with tanzanite and blue topaz.)

And here's how the popular Southwestern gemstone appears in the song... "I needed some strings / Billy wanted a ring / The kind that the Indians made / A voice said hello boys / I've got silver and turquoise / And that's when I saw her face."

"Clovis New Mexico" was the sixth track on the country singer's critically acclaimed, breakthrough album, Hank William, Jr. & Friends. Allmusic editor Thom Jurek wrote that Williams' release was "one of the best country-rock albums ever made and stands with the best of the outlaw recordings of the era."

Critics claim that the album marks a critical period in Williams' career when his music veers toward country rock and he develops his own style instead of imitating his famous dad, Hank Williams. Hank William, Jr. & Friends was originally released by MGM in 1975 and then re-released in 2000 by Mercury Records.

Williams is also a talented musician who can play the guitar, bass guitar, upright bass, steel guitar, banjo, dobro, piano, keyboards, harmonica, fiddle and drums. His Facebook page boasts 2.9 million "Likes."

Born in Shreveport, La., the 66-year-old Williams — who was given the nickname Bocephus by his dad — is still making music and frequently making headlines for his outspoken political views.

We hope you enjoy Wiliams' performance of "Clovis New Mexico." The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along...

"Clovis New Mexico"
Written and performed by Hank Williams, Jr.

Well me and Billy
We left Bossier City
Decided that we’d head out west
Been east and south
But it didn’t workout
We were getting’ nowhere fast
Me with my guitar
And him with his saddle
Tryin' to out do the rest
I sang my heart out
And he rides them broncs now
And that's what me and Billy do best.

We took interstate 20
'Til we ran out of money
In a place just past Abilene
So I sang at a honky-tonk
And he broke the bad bronc
And we bought some gas and some beans.

With a whole lot of luck
And an old pickup truck
We made it to New Mexico
We pulled up in Clovis
And I sure didn't know this
Was as far as I ever would go.

I needed some strings
Billy wanted a ring
The kind that the Indians made
A voice said hello boys
I've got silver and turquoise
And that's when I saw her face.

That's when I noticed
That girl down in Clovis
A black haired beauty
She set a fire to me
A green eyed lady
In old jeans that were faded
No I didn't notice
What happened in Clovis
But I called her baby.

I asked her with care
If she'd like to share
An evening with someone like I
I said I ain't a winner
Just a hard livin' singer
She smiled and said meet me at nine
We ate tacos and talked
And then we took a walk
In the clean southwestern air
Then we went back to her house
I took my guitar out
And sang of my joy and despair.

She served me her wine
And she helped me write lines
To songs I could not complete
And her eyes seemed to say
Put that guitar away
That’s somethin’ that both of us need.

What a beautiful site
Was her face in the light
And the candles there on the wall
And we reached the height
Of good love on that night
And I hope we never will part.

And I'm glad I noticed
That girl down in Clovis
Daughter of a driller
She’s a born thriller
A green eyed lady
Kinda wild, kinda lazy
I didn’t notice
What happened in Clovis
But I called her baby.
Baby.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos excitedly tweeted Friday that the holy grail of all treasure shipwrecks — the Galleon San José — was found near the port city of Cartagena.

Loaded with 11 million gold coins and other riches from the Spanish-controlled colonies, the Galleon San José was sunk by a British warship in 1708. The treasure could be worth upwards of $17 billion, one of the largest amounts ever lost at sea.

The soon-to-be recovered gold coins of the Galleon San José are likely to look like these specimens salvaged from a 1715 Plate Fleet wreck off the coast of Florida.

"Great news!" the president tweeted in Spanish. "We have found the San José galleon."

Santos said during a news conference on Saturday that the discovery was made on November 27 with the assistance of an international team of experts. Although he said the exact location of the wreck remains a state secret, the Associated Press is reporting that that ship was believed to have sunk along the coral reefs near Colombia's Baru peninsula, about 16 miles south of Cartagena.

The Colombian president added that the discovery of the Galleon San José "constitutes one of the greatest — if not the biggest, as some say — discoveries of submerged patrimony in the history of mankind." The recovery effort is expected to take years.

He also noted that a museum would be built in Cartagena to exhibit the ship's historic bounty.

The Galleon San José, one of three ships that was on its way to Spain with riches obtained in the Nueva Granada colony, now Colombia, was reportedly carrying 200 tons of gold, silver, emeralds and jewelry when it was intercepted by The Expedition, a British ship that opened fire on the galleon. Most of the crew of 600 were killed in the attack. The Galleon San José was part of Spain’s royal convoy taking colonial gold to King Philip V during the War of Spanish Succession (1701–1714).

The wreck was discovered at a depth of 1,000 feet by an unmanned submersible vehicle. Fitted with video equipment, the research submarine was able to transmit indisputable visual evidence that the wreck was, indeed, that of the Galleon San José.

The discovery and salvage rights of the Galleon San José have been the focus of a 34-year legal battle. Back in 1981, a U.S.-based salvage company called Sea Search Armada (SSA) had claimed that it had found the wreck and sought to recover the treasure.

SSA was seeking a 50 percent stake, but two years after the claim, Colombia's government overturned a well-established maritime law that typically awarded 50 percent to whoever located a shipwreck. This effectively slashed Sea Search's take to a 5 percent "finder's fee" and sparked lawsuits in both the U.S. and Colombia, according to the Associated Press. An American court dismissed the case in both in 2011 and 2015. SSA claimed that the Colombian courts ruled in favor of the salvage company.

Jack Harbeston, managing director of SSA, told CNN in a written statement that the government of Colombia "keeps repeating the Big Lie (which is unfortunately repeated by the press) that the government of Colombia "won the case" in Federal District court and SSA had lost its rights to the treasure. Nothing could be further from the truth."

In his press conference, President Santos did not mention the salvage company's lawsuit and noted that the ship was found in a never-before-referenced location using new meteorological and underwater mapping studies, according to the Associated Press.

A "hauntingly beautiful" flame-shaped Brazilian citrine — conceived and meticulously faceted by American John Dyer — took first prize at the 46th German Award for Jewellery and Precious Stones. The awards ceremony took place in Idar-Oberstein on November 27.

Judges unanimously gave top honors to Dyer's "Internal Fire," an 88.17-carat red-orange gem that measures 52.6mm (2.07 in.) long by 20mm (.78 in) wide. The competition's theme was "Light My Fire," and Dyer's interpretation was right on point.

Explained Dyer, "The theme 'Light My Fire' didn’t immediately suggest anything to me so I prayed, asking God for inspiration about what to cut. From there on, it was an unfolding process."

The master gem cutter, who has won nearly 50 cutting awards since 2002, believed that an orange gem would fit the "fire" theme best.

"With this in mind, I searched through my stock of rough, and one deep orange citrine stood out," he said. "Once I had ground it clean, it was indeed a flame shape and so the process of cutting the gem was begun."

Dyer revealed that the look of a flame is achieved by the use of a unique faceting pattern on the underside of the gem.

"It has little flame-shaped internal facets on the back, which reflect light individually with varying intensities so that they look like flames shooting upwards as the gem is moved," he said.

The original rough gemstone weighed 335.50 carats, and the end product represented about one-quarter of that weight. The Edina, MN-based Dyer explained that the rough gem also yielded about 18 finished carats of smaller gems from sawn off pieces. The cutting process took four days.

One judge called the gem "hauntingly beautiful." Another said it was "a perfect gem which leaves no questions unanswered, executed with knowledge... The striking use of light refraction distinguishes this sensual yet powerful competition piece.”

The prestigious biennial competition in Idar-Oberstein brings together the work of top gem cutters from around the world. Judges consider the concept, realization of the theme and quality of craftsmanship to determine their winner.

For the first time ever, the color experts at Pantone have blended two shades — Rose Quartz and Serenity Blue — to create its 2016 Color of the Year. Together, the mineral pink and tranquil blue combine to communicate a sense of wellness and peacefulness, with a dash of gender equality.

Noted Pantone, "Rose Quartz is a persuasive yet gentle tone that conveys compassion and a sense of composure. Serenity is weightless and airy, like the expanse of the blue sky above us, bringing feelings of respite and relaxation even in turbulent times."

On its website, Pantone is displaying a short video showing the two colors flowing seamlessly into each other. This transition back and forth from pink to blue represents “societal movements toward gender equality and fluidity," according to Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute.

Each year, the color authorities at Pantone pick a color that they believe will be popular for designs and products in the coming year. Typically, Pantone’s annual selection shows up in fashion, beauty, housewares, home and industrial design and consumer packaging.

A year ago, Pantone disappointed the masses with its choice of Marsala, a brownish-red hue resembling high school cafeteria mystery meat.

This year's colors — which are formally designated as PANTONE 13-1520 and PANTONE 15-3919 — were greeted with enthusiasm by a leading jewelry-industry publication.

"The shades, Rose Quartz (yay! My pick!) and Serenity Blue, are ideal for the jewelry industry," wrote Brittany Siminitz of JCK. "The blue reads as a chalcedony to me, touched with an almost purplish hue, while the pink, like its name, resembles rose quartz."

A New York Times columnist offered a more tepid review...

"Admittedly, choosing the most clichéd gender colors can seem a bit simplistic," wrote Vanessa Friedman in the Times, "but Pantone has a broad constituency to manage; this is not about the cutting edge, but the big middle."

President Barack Obama signed a new law that allows U.S. space miners to extract and sell the precious metals they find on asteroids, the moon and other planets.

The U.S. Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act paves the way for companies, such as Redmond, Wash.-based Planetary Resources, to start planning for commercial prospecting trips to explore what is estimated to be trillions of dollars worth of untapped resources, especially gold, platinum and palladium. The company expects to launch the first space-mining missions before the end of this decade.

“This is the single greatest recognition of property rights in history,” Eric Anderson, Planetary Resources' co-founder and co-chairman, said in a news release. “This legislation establishes the same supportive framework that created the great economies of history, and will encourage the sustained development of space.”

Although the law does not allow for companies to claim, say, an asteroid, for their own, miners may keep anything they obtain from their exploration and mining.

Chris Lewicki, president and chief engineer of Planetary Resources, has his eyes on the 13,000 asteroids whose orbits approach the Earth. They range in size from a few yards to hundreds of miles across.

This past July, for example, a small asteroid containing $5.4 trillion in platinum flew within 1.5 million miles of this planet. The summer fly-by sparked speculation of how asteroids could be captured and brought into orbit around our Moon, making it easier for crews to extract the precious metal in a more controlled way.

“This is how something turns from science fiction into science fact," Lewicki told Arizona Public Media, "and we are right in the middle of it now.”

Asteroids could one day be a vast new source of scarce material in a world of ever-increasing demand. In addition to gold, platinum and palladium, asteroids likely contain other valuable materials, such as silver, iridium, osmium, rhenium, rhodium, ruthenium, tungsten, iron, cobalt, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, aluminium and titanium.

“The natural resources of our Solar System have great potential to facilitate and support our human endeavors, both in outer space and on Earth," said Congressman Lamar Smith (R-TX). "Commercial space companies in the United States are making significant investments to develop technical capabilities that will allow us to explore and use outer space resources. This bill enables this new industry and provides guidance for future entrepreneurs.”

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you new songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, 16-year-old Disney darling Sabrina Carpenter sings about letting go of fears, pursuing dreams and feeling invincible in "We'll Be the Stars."

As the lead single from Carpenter's 2015 debut album, Eyes Wide Open, "We'll Be the Stars" uses "gold" as a metaphor for the exuberance of youth.

She sings, "We are young, we are gold / Trying things we didn't know / Looking at the sky, see it come alive / All our fears became our hopes / Climbed out every locked window / We rode the lion's mane and fell upon the rain."

Interestingly, the gold/youth connections of "We'll Be the Stars" are present in a number of other songs, including "Stay Gold" by Stevie Wonder and "Stay Gold" by First Aid Kit. Each of those songs is inspired by Robert Frost’s eight-line poem, “Nothing Gold Can Stay.”

In that poem, which was originally published in 1923, Frost writes about striving to hold onto the wondrous, pure, innocent and exciting “goldenness” of youth.

He begins with these two lines, “Nature’s first green is gold / Her hardest hue to hold” and ends with these, “So dawn goes down to day / Nothing gold can stay.”

"We'll Be the Stars" was released in January 2015 and made its radio premiere on Radio Disney. Carpenter's debut album topped out at a respectable #29 on the U.S. Billboard 200.

The Pennsylvania-born singer-actress launched her career in 2011 with a guest role on NBC's drama series, Law & Order: SVU. In January 2013, Carpenter was cast as Maya Hart in the Disney Channel series Girl Meets World.

Please check out the video of Carpenter's entrancing acoustic version of "We'll Be the Stars." The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along.

"We'll Be The Stars"
Written by Steven Solomon, Skyler Stonestreet, Cameron Walker. Performed by Sabrina Carpenter.

We are young, we are gold
Trying things we didn't know
Looking at the sky, see it come alive
All our fears became our hopes
Climbed out every locked window
We rode the lion's mane and fell upon the rain

We can reach the constellations
Trust me, all our dreams are breaking out

No, we're never gonna turn to dust,
Yeah, all we really need is us
Don't be scared to close your eyes
No, we're never gonna die, we'll be the stars
Oh, no, we're never gonna step too far
Yeah, we're holding on to who we are
When it's time to close your eyes
They will see us in the sky,
We'll be the stars!

Let me in, hold me close
Fill my heart with simple notes
So when it's hard to see,
They are there, reminding me
Take my breath, and hold me high
So I can feel the city lights
Glowing under me
It's in our reach, we're breaking out

No, we're never gonna turn to dust,
Yeah, all we really need is us
Don't be scared to close your eyes
No, we're never gonna die, we'll be the stars
Oh, no, we're never gonna step too far
Yeah, we're holding on to who we are
When it's time to close your eyes
They will see us in the sky,
We'll be the stars!

Hey, "Tsarvena Swan," the "Peacock Ring" flew away with your Guinness World Record for the most diamonds set in a single ring. Designed by India's Savio Jewellery, the 18-karat white gold Peacock Ring boasts 3,827 ideal-cut diamonds weighing a total of 16.5 carats. It has an estimated value is $2.7 million.

Savio partner Abhishek Sand told JCK magazine that the finished piece was "crazy difficult" to produce. The challenge of sourcing nearly 4,000 fine-quality, small diamonds took three months, and the manufacturing process took three years. The diamonds range from E to G in color and from VVS to VS in clarity. The weights vary from 0.003 carats to .01 carats.

"We didn’t just want to break [the record] by a little, but by a lot," Sand told JCK. "Guinness is an internationally recognized standard and it would set us apart.”

The Peacock Ring's diamond count turned out to be 51% greater than that of the previous record holder, the Tsarvena Swan, which held the title since 2011.

That ring was designed by Lobortas Classic Jewelry House (Ukraine) and features 2,525 G-color diamonds, ranging from 0.001 carats to 0.05 carats. The diamond total weight of the piece is 10.48 carats, and all the diamonds are in the clarity range of VVS2 to VS1. Lobortas set the retail value at $1.3 million, according to published reports.

Guinness also announced a second diamond-related record, this one for a bejeweled guitar. The "Eden of Coronet" guitar is adorned with 11,441 diamonds weighing 401.15 carats — all set in 18-karat white gold (57.67 ounces). The guitar was designed by Aaron Shum of Hong Kong and is valued at $2 million, making it the world's most valuable guitar.

The beautiful and elegant Eva Longoria delighted her two million Instagram followers on Sunday with a romantic photo announcing her engagement to Jose Antonio Baston. The image shows the couple embracing during their visit to Dubai — and prominently reveals Longoria's impressive ruby-and-diamond engagement ring.

A close-up view of the ring, although a bit blurry, seems to show a sizable ruby center stone surrounded by clusters of white diamonds in a white gold or platinum setting.

Longoria cleverly captioned her photo, "Ummmm so this happened....#Engaged #Dubai #Happiness." The 40-year-old actress and former Desperate Housewives star also included a photo of her and her fiancé enjoying a champagne picnic before riding camels into the desert.

The choice of a ruby instead of a more traditional diamond is expected to spark the public's interest in more colorful, non-traditional engagement ring center stones.

Longoria and Baston, who is nicknamed "Pepe," were in Dubai to attend the Global Gift Gala at the 2015 Dubai International Film Festival.

The new bride-to-be is clearly smitten by her new fiancé. She captioned the photo above, "No words for this handsomeness! @globalgiftfoundation #GGFDUB15."

In 2014, she told Parade magazine, "You know, in general, I'm attracted to humor and intellect in a man." When asked if Baston did, indeed, have those qualities, she said, "Sure. Let me tell you, I'm very lucky in my life."

Longoria has been dating Baston since 2013. The handsome 47-year-old is the president of Televisa, Latin America's largest media company.

Sunday's proposal likely came as a surprise to Longoria, who only a year ago said in a interview that that she believed that "marriage and kids are not on the horizon." She was previously married to actor Tyler Christopher from 2002 to 2004 and to NBA star Tony Parker from 2007 to 2011.

Actress and humanitarian Angelina Jolie Pitt donated an extraordinary citrine necklace to the Smithsonian’s National Gem Collection. Featuring 64 cushion-cut citrine gems and a fiery 177.11-carat pear-shaped citrine drop, the 18-karat gold necklace went on display last Friday at the Janet Annenberg Hall of Geology, Gems and Minerals in Washington, D.C.

The new piece, called the Jolie Citrine Necklace, will remain on view indefinitely, alongside some of the world's most famous gems, including the Hope Diamond. The National Gem Collection is part of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History — the most visited natural history museum in the world. The collection consists of approximately 350,000 mineral specimens and 10,000 gems.

The Jolie Citrine Necklace is from the Style of Jolie jewelry collection, a collaboration between the actress and American jewelry designer Robert Procop. The collection was developed by Jolie Pitt to promote education and establish schools in conflict-affected countries. Proceeds from the sales of jewelry in the Style of Jolie collection are donated to the Education Partnership for Children in Conflict, which builds schools for children around the world, the first few of which are in Afghanistan.

The necklace is beautifully styled with 64 graduated citrine gems, each bezel set in 18-karat yellow gold. The large pear-shaped citrine drop is also bezel set, giving the necklace a sharp, clean look.

“We are thrilled to receive this important piece for the Smithsonian,” said Jeffrey Post, curator of the National Gem Collection. “It is the first piece of citrine jewelry in the collection. The fact that it was personally designed by Angelina Jolie Pitt and Robert Procop makes it all the more significant.”

Added Jolie, "Robert and I are honored to have this great institution feature one of our jeweled creations. As the Smithsonian has educated so many of us, this jewel is a symbol of our efforts to help educate underprivileged children in conflict areas of the world.”

Citrine, one of the alternative birthstones for November, is the golden-yellow-to-orange variety of quartz and gets its color from trace amounts of iron in the gem's chemical makeup. The word "citrine" comes from "citron," the French word for "lemon."

When it comes to picking the perfect engagement ring, men are spending more time, more effort and more money than ever before, according to a national survey conducted by The Knot.

The average groom-to-be spent an all-time high of $5,978 on an engagement ring in 2015, up from $5,403 in 2013 and $5,095 in 2011.

These men also did an impressive amount of legwork before committing to a purchase. On average, they invested 4.8 months in research and 3.6 months in sourcing the perfect engagement ring. They visited five retailers and scrutinized at least 25 rings before purchasing "the one."

According the study, diamonds are still the #1 engagement ring stone choice, with 63% receiving a white diamond center stone with side stones and/or accents, and 21% receiving a white diamond solitaire. However, 8% reported receiving a colored gemstone engagement ring, up from 6% in 2013.

The trendiest engagement ring setting is, by far, the halo, which tripled from 7% in 2011 to 22% in 2015. The most popular diamond cut is round (49%), followed by princess (22%) and cushion (6%). Interestingly, 33% of brides said they'd prefer a different shape stone than the traditional (and most popular) round shape.

The survey also reveals that men favor quality over quantity. Eighty-five percent of men would rather buy a smaller, better-quality diamond than a larger stone of lesser quality, and 57% of brides admit that they'd rather have a smaller, better quality diamond than a larger stone of lesser quality.

The Knot's 2015 Jewelry & Engagement Study is the largest of its kind and includes survey results from more than 12,000 U.S. brides and 1,200 U.S. grooms engaged or recently married from 2014 to early 2015.

Another key finding from the survey is that future brides are taking a more active role in the engagement process, especially when it comes to selecting the ring.

Sixty seven percent of brides reported they they began researching rings before getting engaged, using their mobile devices to browse ring styles (43%), sharing ring ideas with their fiancé (35%) and researching ring designers or retailers (29%).

Eight out of 10 men said their partner dropped hints. Of that group, 51% of women pointed out styles while shopping, 36% revealed outright what they wanted and 11% left ads or pictures of engagement rings laying around.

In a surprising note, Kellie Gould, editor-in-chief of The Knot, reported that brides are no longer in the dark about the value of their engagement rings. Thirty-four percent of brides were aware of exactly how much their fiancé paid and another 34% knew the approximate cost.

Welcome to a special holiday edition of Music Friday, when we bring you great songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, birthday girl Christina Aguilera (she was born on this day in 1980) belts out her rendition of the 1947 classic, "Merry Christmas Baby."

In first lines of the song, Aguilera — with an assist from Dr. John — sings about how a very special piece of jewelry has made this the best Christmas ever: "Merry Christmas baby, oh ooh / You sure did treat me nice, oh ooh / You gave me a diamond ring for Christmas / Now I'm living in paradise, oh oh."

Originally recorded by Johnny Moore's Three Blazers in 1947, this R&B holiday classic has been covered by a Who's Who of music-industry legends, including Chuck Berry, Otis Redding, B.B. King, Elvis Presley, Bruce Springsteen and Melissa Etheridge.

A little known fact about Aguilera's version, which appeared on her My Kind of Christmas album in 2000, is that one of her heroines, Etta James, was supposed to be a featured performer on the track. The idea was later panned and Dr. John was picked as a replacement.

In a snarky review, critic Chris Williams of Entertainment Weekly noted it was probably better that James didn't appear on the track.

"The blues legend is mysteriously absent from the finished track," Williams wrote, "but Aguilera oversings so wildly that there wouldn’t have been enough oxygen in the booth to sustain another life form."

Nevertheless, Aguilera's My Kind of Christmas peaked at #28 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and sold more than one million copies.

Johnny Moore's Three Blazers' recording of "Merry Christmas Baby" also was a great success. The song reached position #3 on Billboard's R&B Juke Box chart during the Christmas of 1947.

Please check out the video of Aguilera's live performance of "Merry Christmas Baby" on The Late Show With David Letterman. As a bonus, we're also including the original. The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along. Enjoy!

I'm, I'm feeling mighty fine
Got good music on my radio
(Yes you do child)
Well I'm, I'm feeling mighty fine
Got good music, on, music on my radio, oh
Well I, I want to kiss you baby
While we're standing underneath the mistletoe

Santa came down the chimney
About a half past three
Left all these pretty presents
That you, that you see before me, oh

Merry Christmas baby, merry Christmas baby
You sure been good to me, oh, oh ooh
Well I, I haven't had a drink this morning
But I'm, I'm lit up like a Christmas tree
Christmas tree, oh oh oh, oh yeah

Oh, yeah yeah yeah
Oh oh ooh, yeah, oh, ooh,
Oh oh yeah, yeah, yeah

St. Nick came down the chimney
About a half past three
He left all these pretty presents
That you see before me

Merry Christmas baby
You sure been good to me
Haven't had a taste this morning
But I'm all lit up like a Christmas tree

Billed as the world's largest black diamond, the 88-karat "Karloff Noir" made a rare one-day appearance at a Dubai Mall last week to promote the reopening of a Karloff Paris boutique.

Discovered in Siberia in 1917, the unusual gem was cut from a 421-carat rough diamond and boasts a deep, rich black opaque color. Daniel Paillasseur, founder and managing partner of Korloff Paris, purchased the precious stone in 1978 and named it after the royal Russian family, Korloff-Sapojnikoff, which originally owned it. The gem is insured for $37 million and resides in Paris.

“It’s the heart and soul of the company and there’s only one such in the world,” Bassam Azakir, managing partner at Korloff Paris, told Gulf News. “[It has] been brought outside of Paris only on select occasions, for the Sultan of Brunei and the Queen of Malaysia. Given how priceless it is from an insurance perspective, it’s difficult to take it out.”

Although the Guinness Book of World Records had once affirmed the Karloff Noir to be the largest faceted black diamond in the world, another famous black diamond — The Spirit of de Grisogono — is reported to be far larger at 312.24 carats. Discovered several decades ago in the Central African Republic, the Mogul-cut black diamond was an astounding 587 carats in its rough state. Swiss luxury jeweler Fawaz Gruosi of Grisogono is responsible for cutting the gem and designing the setting for the larger-than-life white gold ring encrusted with 702 white diamonds (36.69 carats). The ring was eventually sold by Gruosi to a private client.

Despite our confusion over which black diamond is really the world's largest, we're intrigued by Karloff Paris' claim that much of the company's good fortune is credited to the mystical qualities of the 57-facet Karloff Noir.

In a 2007 Haute Living article, Karloff executives provided examples of how the black diamond has brought happiness, good luck and prosperity to all of those who have come in contact with it. The article explains how prior to the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, figure skater Alexei Yagudin touched the stone and went on to win the gold medal. Composer and cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, tennis player Pete Sampras, and chess players Gary Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov are among the individuals said to have benefitted from the powers of the Karloff Noir.

Black diamonds are different than other colored diamonds because they do not get their color from chemical impurities, such as nitrogen, hydrogen or boron, in the diamond's makeup. Instead, black diamonds owe their color to numerous dark inclusions (mostly graphite). Their opaqueness is caused by a “polycrystalline” structure that inhibits the reflection of light.

One of the biggest takeaways from The Knot's 2015 Jewelry & Engagement Study is the fact that marriage proposals are increasingly public affairs, with photographers often called on to preserve the moment, and social media at the ready to broadcast the big news.

Forty-five percent of grooms said that they proposed in a public place, up dramatically from 34% in 2011. A scenic spot was chosen by exactly 28% of grooms, while 21% said they proposed at home and another 18% reported popping the question while on vacation.

The Knot noted that executing the perfect proposal and capturing the moment are high on men's priority list. Nearly half (48%) admitted they meticulously planned the proposal down to the last detail. An astounding 41% had a photographer or videographer capture the proposal as it happened.

Social media is the primary way newly engaged couples are alerting their friends and families about the good news. Exactly 79% of couples shared the excitement on social media within three days.

Four of 10 brides said they were completely surprised by the marriage proposal and 58% claimed they knew it was coming, but weren't sure exactly when.

Despite fast-moving advances in technology and communication, the majority of grooms are still mindful of traditions when they propose.

More than three-quarters of men (77%) asked for the father's or parents' permission before popping the question (up from 71% in 2011) and 85% proposed on bended knee.

The exact phrase, "Will you marry me?" was uttered by 89% of future grooms and nearly an equal portion (88%) popped the question with an engagement ring in hand.

The Knot’s 2015 Jewelry & Engagement Study is the largest of its kind and represents the opinions of more than 12,000 U.S. brides and 1,200 U.S. grooms engaged or recently married from 2014 to early 2015.

If you thought Valentine's Day was the most romantic day of the year, think again. Facebook reveals that more men pop the question on Christmas Eve than at any other time.

How does Facebook know so much about relationships? Well, Facebook has a cool function that allows users to report their "relationship status." When any of its 1.4 billion users moves in or out of a relationship, Facebook knows. Of the 156 million users in the U.S., 2.6 million changed their status to "engaged" last year.

The most most popular days for getting down on bended knee were Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day and Valentine’s Day. So, as you can see, Valentine's Day actually came in fourth.

Interestingly, their median age was 24, and 30% of all "engaged" status updates took place during November and December.

Facebook provides a long pull-down menu of potential statuses. These include "single," "in a relationship," "engaged," "married," "in a civil union," "in an open relationship," "it's complicated," "separated," "divorced" and "widowed."

Why is Christmas Eve such a popular time to get engaged? The best answer seems to be romance and family.

Experts believe that many grooms-to-be get swept up in the romance of the festive season, which also allows for quality time with loved ones, family and friends. Most men still ask for the parents' blessing before popping the question, and the holidays make that communication much more convenient.

A winter engagement also gives the couple enough time to prepare a summer or fall wedding. In previous bridal surveys, men admitted that proposing during Christmas was more likely to "get a yes."Facebook also noticed that once young men changed their status to "engaged," their frequency of posting increased dramatically. They made 20% more posts, sent 40% more messages and checked in 20% more often than those not engaged. Engaged women are similarly more "engaged" with Facebook.

The Facebook findings align with the stats tallied by Chillisauce.co.uk, which found that 33% of men quizzed said Christmas Eve was the best time to pop the question. Interestingly, 83% of women gave a thumbs-down to a holiday proposal. Instead, a large portion of women (29%) said they would prefer a proposal on Valentine's Day or on the anniversary of the day they met their future spouse (20%).

Bridal jewelry donations are making the holiday bright for Salvation Army chapters throughout the country.

The Salvation Army's bell ringing season starts each November and runs through Christmas Eve. While the bulk of donations come in the form of coins and paper money, the most meaningful (and valuable) ones contain a bit of bling.

Earlier this month in Billerica, Mass., an anonymous donor dropped a diamond engagement ring and wedding band into a Salvation Army Red Kettle outside of a local grocery store. The bridal set was valued at $3,500.

“We’re excited and incredibly grateful to the individual who made such a generous and kind donation,” Major David B. Davis, divisional commander of the Massachusetts Salvation Army, said in a press release. “Our Red Kettles represent the spirit of giving, and this incredible gift will ensure that local children will have a brighter Christmas and that families and seniors will get the resources they need all year round.”

The proceeds from the donation will be used to provide services for thousands of children, families and seniors in the local area. This includes meals, toys and other holiday support for those in need, along with funding for food pantries, soup kitchens, social services and education programs.

Last year, we wrote about an anonymous widow, whose donation of her wedding ring and diamond engagement ring in nearby Boston made headlines across the country. The widow included a note that said she was making the donation in honor of her late husband’s joy of Christmastime gift giving.

She wrote, "I’ve dropped my wedding ring in your Red Kettle knowing that the money from its sale will buy toys for needy children. In all seasons, my husband was a giver. I especially remember his joy in giving at Christmastime, especially to those in need. To honor his memory, I donate this ring.”

So touched by the widow's generosity, a second benefactor pledged $21,000 to The Salvation Army to have the rings reunited with their original owner.

This year, social media is filled with accounts of bridal jewelry being dropped into Red Kettles across the country. Typically, The Salvation Army will hold the rings for a week or longer, just in case they were dropped into the kettles by mistake.

• In Miami, a frequent Secret Santa and Salvation Army benefactor dropped a platinum and diamond ring appraised at $3,000 into a Salvation Army Red Kettle outside a Winn-Dixie store. The ring was wrapped in a $20 bill and included a note that read, "There are so many who need help. Keep doing good! God bless The Salvation Army. A friend.”

This is the sixth year in a row that the anonymous benefactor has contributed valuable items. Previous gifts have included a gold nugget, an emerald and diamond necklace, and a diamond ring. Each year, the Secret Santa leaves a voice mail alerting The Salvation Army to be on the lookout for a special gift.

• In Wilson County, Tenn., an anonymous donor dropped three rings, including a wedding set, into a Salvation Army Red Kettle. The rings were wrapped neatly inside a dollar bill and then placed in a plastic bag. Their combined value was estimated to be $1,100.

• In Fayetteville, N.C., a bell ringer for The Salvation Army was surprised by the sound of an odd "clank" at the bottom of her donation kettle. The items making the unusual sound turned out to be a bridal set, which was later appraised at $1,770.

• In Durham, N.C., an anonymous person placed two crumpled dollar bills into a kettle at a local Walmart. The dollars hid a diamond ring.

• In Sheboygan, Wis., volunteer bell ringers at a Festival Foods found a one-carat diamond ring at the bottom of their Red Kettle. The diamond was wrapped in its original receipt that dated back to 1996. It was purchased at that time for $2,200. Salvation Army representatives are currently having the ring appraised to determine its current value.

Shawn Wright says his girlfriend Maylynn Stephenson is "out of this world," so the romantic Canadian devised a way to launch her engagement ring into the stratosphere.

Mounted on a wooden spatula, attached to a high-altitude weather balloon, monitored by a GPS unit and filmed with a GoPro, the engagement ring lifted off from Calgary just before dawn. In a fascinating three-minute video, the ring is shown rising above the earth with a gorgeous sunrise in the background.

The ring ascended 110,000 feet (about 20 miles), which is considered near-space. Propelled by a jet-stream, the weather balloon and its payload eventually parachuted safely more 200 miles away in Taber, Alberta.

"I thought, 'How could I make this special? I can't just hand it to her,'" he told HLN. "I thought for a split second that it would be cool to send it into space. Kind of enchanting the ring for her."

Armed with surreal footage of the ring floating high above the Earth at sunrise, Wright produced a video chronicling the journey. The video ends with the question, "Maylynn. Will you marry me?"

After viewing the video and accepting the "enchanted" engagement ring, Stephenson couldn't have been more impressed by her fiancé's romantic proposal, although she did admit that she would have "freaked out a bit" if she knew in advance that her ring was being launched into space.

Wright was confident he wouldn't lose the ring because he was able to track it in real time using both a radio transmitter and a GPS devise. At one point in the flight, the weather balloon was heading toward the U.S. border, but a fortunate change in the jet stream kept the ring in Canada.

The 29-year-old Wright had originally proposed to Stephenson with a faux diamond ring a year ago while they were on holiday in Barcelona, Spain. Over the past year, he saved up enough money to buy the actual ring and to assemble the components for his elaborate, high-flying video.

Wright uploaded his amazing footage to YouTube and included this funny and heartwarming caption... "To my fiancée. This is my way of showing you how much you mean to me. I have been working on this project in secret. I hope you think it is as out of this world as you are. I love you! PS... I owe you a kitchen spatula."

Wright and Stephenson have known each other since they were pre-teens. About six years ago, they started dating after reconnecting via Facebook.

Newlywed Jay Bradford was working on his friend's charter boat off the coast of New Jersey when his tungsten wedding band slipped off his finger and disappeared into the Atlantic Ocean. But thanks to the accuracy of GPS tracking and the skills of a seasoned salvage diver, the ring was found on the ocean floor four days later. Bradford's wife, Meagan, is calling the recovery "a Christmas miracle."

Meagan had picked a tungsten carbide wedding band for her seafaring husband because her local jeweler told her the metal was extremely durable and resistant to scratches. After their June wedding, Jay wore it everyday and never took it off — until Saturday, December 12.

Jay had been helping out on his friend's charter boat, the Lock-N-Load, when he was asked to pull up the anchor so they could find a better fishing spot. In an interview with the Asbury Park Press, Jay described how he hit the boat's bow rail with his hands and the wedding band rode up over his knuckle. When he tried to secure it, the ring jumped off his hand, rebounded off the boat's toe rail and plunked into the 33-foot-deep water.

The conditions were far too dangerous for captain Nick Barsa and his crew to try to recover the ring at that moment, so they locked in the boat's GPS coordinates just in case they decided to tackle the problem with a professional diver at a later date.

Even though the tungsten ring could easily have been replaced, the Point Pleasant couple was steadfast in their commitment to do everything possible to recover the original.

"I wasn't worried about the cost of the ring," Meagan told the Asbury Park Press. "I was more concerned with what it meant and what it symbolized."

“We knew it was a 50-50 shot and [Jay] asked me if I though it was worth it,” Meagan added. “I told him we would either have a really good story to tell or be back at square one.”

After four days of bad weather, and with the seas still churning, captain Barsa, Jay and a professional salvage diver returned to the exact GPS coordinates, east of Long Branch, N.J. To have a fighting chance of finding the ring, the boat had to be placed in the exact same spot, a task made very difficult by the 35 MPH westerly winds and a big southeast swell. Captain Barsa had to circle the boat several times to hit the mark.

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based navigation system that provides accurate position fixes 24 hours a day, on land, sea and air, in any weather, with no subscription or fee. Originally built between 1978 and 1994 for the U.S. Department of Defense with 24 satellites in orbit 12,000 miles above the Earth, this multi-billion dollar system is available for all users.

And, amazingly, it's often accurate to within 3.5 meters.

The diver, Mark Thompson, stood in the same position on the boat where Jay had lost his ring and dropped a handful of metal washers into the water to determine where the current was likely to take them. Then, the diver followed the popcorn trail to the spot where the tungsten ring was likely to be. Amazingly, the strategy worked to perfection. Despite only one-foot of visibility at the bottom, it took barely 10 minutes for Thompson to find the black tungsten ring resting near the washers on the rocky bottom.

“I gave [the diver] the biggest hug I could,” Meagan said.

Jay promised his wife that he wouldn't wear his tungsten wedding band to work anymore. Instead, he'll wear a cheap imitation or rubber ring. Meagan joked that Jay wants to tattoo his finger with the ring's GPS coordinates so he won't ever "have to go through this again."

Meagan called the experience a "Christmas miracle," and nicknamed the Lock-N-Load's skipper "Captain St. Nicholas" in honor of his holiday season efforts to recover her husband's wedding band.

LeAnn Rimes received a "blingtastic" diamond ring from hubby Eddie Cibrian on Christmas Eve, which also marked the fifth anniversary of their engagement in 2010.

The country singer posted a photo of the new stunner on Instagram, along with this caption: "Celebrating 5 years since we got engaged! #christmaseve #thecibs #husbandandwife."

The ring seems to feature a large oval diamond center stone accented by a delicate pavé diamond band. The new ring will replace Rimes' original engagement ring, which had a 5-carat oval center stone framed by a diamond halo.

Rimes explained to a fan on Instagram that the new ring will share the same finger with the three rose gold diamond bands she's been wearing since 2011. The bands symbolize Cibrian and his two sons, Mason and Jake.

In describing her new jewelry, she wrote, "It's a long story. Different stone, new setting. Yes, I still wear 3 bands and I play around with those depending on my mood. I LOVE my ring. I've loved all of them. This one won't be worn much on stage so I don't destroy it. I really get into it, and precious metals don't do well being banged against a mic over and over. Lol."

A short time later, the 33-year-old returned to Instagram to post a romantic selfie of her and her husband, along with a note wishing her fans a happy Christmas Eve.

Rimes and her 42-year-old actor husband began dating in 2009 and tied the knot in Malibu in April 2011. The couple renewed their vows in a private ceremony a year later.

Fans of magnificent gemstones will be talking about 2015 for a long time. It was the year that produced a cavalcade of record-breakers, including the world's most expensive gemstone and an amazing rough diamond that weighed a staggering 1,111 carats.

Here's our review of the gemstones that lit up 2015...

• In November, the much-ballyhooed Blue Moon diamond set an all-time record for the highest price ever paid at auction for a gemstone when Hong Kong billionaire Joseph Lau captured the coveted 12.03-carat gem for a jaw-dropping $48.5 million at Sotheby’s Geneva. He renamed the stone “The Blue Moon of Josephine” in honor of his young daughter.

• Only one day earlier, Lau was at rival Christie’s Geneva bidding on a rare cushion-shaped 16.08-carat pink diamond. He eventually purchased the gem for $28.5 million ($1.7 million per carat), setting an auction record for any vivid pink diamond. Lau named the stone, you guessed it, "Josephine."

• Also in November, Lucara announced the discovery of a 1,111-carat rough diamond — the largest gem-quality diamond recovered in more than 100 years. Second in size only to the Cullinan diamond, which was unearthed in 1905 and weighed 3,106.75 carats, the 1,111-carat Type IIa diamond extracted from Lucara’s Karowe Mine in Botswana is about the size of a tennis ball and weighs nearly a half pound.

• In December, the Crimson Flame, a 15-carat pigeon’s blood Burmese ruby, set a new record when it sold for $18 million at Christie’s Magnificent Jewels sale in Hong Kong. The gem established a new per-carat price record for a ruby at $1.2 million. The gem was billed as "the most important pigeon’s-blood ruby to come to auction in Asia.”

• In May, the Sunrise Ruby obliterated two auction records at Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels sale in Geneva. With a hammer price of $30.4 million, the 25.59-carat, pigeon’s-blood Sunrise Ruby set a new auction mark for the highest price ever paid for a ruby. It also had established a new high water mark for the highest price-per-carat ever paid at auction for a ruby, a record that was broken seven months later by the Crimson Flame.

• Also in May, a 35.09-carat Kashmir sapphire set a new record at Christie’s Geneva when it fetched $7.4 million — crushing the pre-sale high estimate of $4.3 million. Displaying the velvety blue hue of a peacock’s neck feathers, the gem’s per-carat selling price of $209,689 established a new record for a Kashmir sapphire.

Credits: Sotheby's; Christie's; Lucara.

About the Author

Craig Husar is the President and Chief Romance Officer at Lyle Husar Designs in Brookfield, Wisconsin.

According to Craig, it's important to remember that "jewelry is a symbol of your love" and true love comes in many forms. Here, it's found in a beautiful little box, covered in satin ribbons and trimmed in gold. Trust our romance experts to be your personal guides to the world of romantic gift giving.